BeechmereLake wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 8:44 am
If the reel is serviced and slowed down through the oscillation of the axle you should find its perfect, some people put oil in their reels but these Cardinals love a quality grease, polish the axle then grease it before putting it back in and your reel should be fine. A lot of the time these Cardinals run so easy and shake their heads rather alarmingly, you can get rotor wobble and a feel of nothing from the reel, there are several points I attend to to make them work for a living and that means making the reel run smooth but firm, you dont want them "running on" when you push the handle forward, the cardinal 55 was hideous for doing this from new in the box. Just slow the reel down and it should run like a modern day reel of considerable value
I don't have your expertise, but my experience with my 44X/66X's is exactly that, good quality grease and plenty of it. Free but not 'running on'. I amdit I'm starting to look askance at a 77X...I may have to buy one.
That said I stripped a 44X I bought and found two broken pieces of a circlip in the grease, so that was a lucky escape.
I bought a '55 as 'they're iconic', used it twice and sold it. Tended to 'run on' and the anti-reverse was coarse. Thought it was horrible.
When a 55 is done properly its one of the finest reels Abu made, you can spend 3 or 4 hours on one making it perfect if you have the knowledge and the parts, I do my best to make every Cardinal leave here in perfect working condition especially the Cardinal 55 which I have been using since 1978. If you ever get the chance to use Dave Burr's reel you can see what can be achieved, it was like winding fresh air
" It is a sinister place yet powerfully fascinating"
